Spring cleaning...getting Porch cats up-to-date

It's spring and TNR work is rolling along. Debra is tackling "clean-up" in a colony in Waverly that has had some new arrivals. Cats on-site who were sterilized in previous years also need their rabies boosters. It's usually not necessary to target cats who just need boosters. Usually they are captured accidentally while the new cats are targeted. Those residents can then take a quick trip to the veterinarian and hopefully the experience will make them wary enough to stay out of the traps for the next few months or years, until another booster is due three more years down the line.

Debra has mentioned this Waverly spot to me for years and I finally got to visit. And wow, these cats have it good. They have outdoor shelters, and also have a cat/dog door into the house for those who are brave enough to venture in. The home also has a big waggy Rottweiler who loves cats, and seemed to like me as well.

I'm sure upon arrival people would think "what the heck is that interesting structure? Turns out it's a cat shelter made out of the windows the resident replaced in her home:

The cats also have shelters under the porch. Do these look familiar at all? Debra took them over when they were no longer needed at the extinct Lockwood colony:

Under porch far away

Debra set traps and caught two cats:

Camden, a medium-furred black cat who has been around some years. It turned out he was already neutered, so he was FeLV/FIV tested, vaccinated, and Debra had him groomed. She is going to keep him inside and I'll go scan him. Since he turned out friendly, we'll see about finding him a new home if we can't find his previous home after all this time.

Butters, a cat who had been caught in previous years and is taming up. He got an FeLV/FIV test (in case he was an option for rehoming or keeping inside 100%) and updated vaccinations. Here's Butters inside after being returned after his vet visit:

Cost for care, $128 at ACS.

It's important to make sure all new cats get sterilized as soon as possible, and whenever possible, that resident cats get updated vaccinations, since cats who just "show up" in our lives, deserve just as much quality care and those we choose for ourselves.